Number: 494 Title: Literature and Human Rights Units: G

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1 GENERAL STUDIES COURSE PROPOSAL COVER FORM Course information: Copy and paste current course information from Class Search/Course Catalog. College/School College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department/School English EN Prefix: Number: 494 Title: Literature and Human Rights Units: G 3 Course description: This course will introduce students to the transdisciplinary subfield of literature and human rights, which explores the many historical and contemporary intersections of creative expression and global human rights activism. Is this a cross-listed course? No If yes, please identify course(s): Is this a shared course? No If so, list all academic units offering this course: Note- For courses that are crosslisted and/or shared, a letter of support from the chair/director of each department that offers the course is required for each designation requested. By submitting this letter of support, the chair/director agrees to ensure that all faculty teaching the course are aware of the General Studies designation(s) and will teach the course in a manner that meets the criteria for each approved designation. Is this a permanent-numbered course with topics? If yes, all topics under this permanent-numbered course must be taught in a manner that meets the criteria Chair/Director Initials for the approved designation(s). It is the responsibility of the chair/director to ensure that all faculty teaching the course are aware of the General Studies designation(s) and adhere to the above guidelines. (Required) Requested designation: Humanities, Arts and Design HU Mandatory Review: Yes Note- a separate proposal is required for each designation. No Eligibility: Permanent numbered courses must have completed the university s review and approval process. For the rules governing approval of omnibus courses, contact Phyllis.Lucie@asu.edu. Submission deadlines dates are as follow: For Fall 2018 Effective Date: October 1, 2017 For Spring 2019 Effective Date: March 10, 2018 Area(s) proposed course will serve: A single course may be proposed for more than one core or awareness area. A course may satisfy a core area requirement and more than one awareness area requirements concurrently, but may not satisfy requirements in two core areas simultaneously, even if approved for those areas. With departmental consent, an approved General Studies course may be counted toward both the General Studies requirement and the major program of study. Checklists for general studies designations: Complete and attach the appropriate checklist Literacy and Critical Inquiry core courses (L) Mathematics core courses (MA) Computer/statistics/quantitative applications core courses (CS) Humanities, Arts and Design core courses (HU) Social-Behavioral Sciences core courses (SB) Natural Sciences core courses (SQ/SG) Cultural Diversity in the United States courses (C) Global Awareness courses (G) Historical Awareness courses (H) A complete proposal should include: Signed course proposal cover form Criteria checklist for General Studies designation being requested Course catalog description Sample syllabus for the course Copy of table of contents from the textbook and list of required readings/books It is respectfully requested that proposals are submitted electronically with all files compiled into one PDF. Contact information: Name Brian K. Goodman brian.k.goodman@asu.edu Phone Department Chair/Director approval: (Required) Chair/Director name (Typed): Date: Chair/Director (Signature):

2 Arizona State University Criteria Checklist for HUMANITIES, ARTS AND DESIGN [HU] Rationale and Objectives The humanities disciplines are concerned with questions of human existence and meaning, the nature of thinking and knowing, with moral and aesthetic experience. The humanities develop values of all kinds by making the human mind more supple, critical, and expansive. They are concerned with the study of the textual and artistic traditions of diverse cultures, including traditions in literature, philosophy, religion, ethics, history, and aesthetics. In sum, these disciplines explore the range of human thought and its application to the past and present human environment. They deepen awareness of the diversity of the human heritage and its traditions and histories and they may also promote the application of this knowledge to contemporary societies. The study of the arts and design, like the humanities, deepens the student s awareness of the diversity of human societies and cultures. The arts have as their primary purpose the creation and study of objects, installations, performances and other means of expressing or conveying aesthetic concepts and ideas. Design study concerns itself with material objects, images and spaces, their historical development, and their significance in society and culture. Disciplines in the arts and design employ modes of thought and communication that are often nonverbal, which means that courses in these areas tend to focus on objects, images, and structures and/or on the practical techniques and historical development of artistic and design traditions. The past and present accomplishments of artists and designers help form the student s ability to perceive aesthetic qualities of art work and design. The Humanities, Arts and Design are an important part of the General Studies Program, for they provide an opportunity for students to study intellectual and imaginative traditions and to observe and/or learn the production of art work and design. The knowledge acquired in courses fulfilling the Humanities, Arts and Design requirement may encourage students to investigate their own personal philosophies or beliefs and to understand better their own social experience. In sum, the Humanities, Arts and Design core area enables students to broaden and deepen their consideration of the variety of human experience. Revised April 2014

3 Humanities and Fine Arts [HU] Page 2 Proposer: Please complete the following section and attach appropriate documentation. ASU - [HU] CRITERIA HUMANITIES, ARTS AND DESIGN [HU] courses must meet either 1, 2 or 3 and at least one of the criteria under 4 in such a way as to make the satisfaction of these criteria A CENTRAL AND SUBSTANTIAL PORTION of the course content. YES NO 1. Emphasizes the study of values; the development of philosophies, religions, ethics or belief systems; and/or aesthetic experience. 2. Concerns the interpretation, analysis, or creation of written, aural, or visual texts; and/or the historical development of textual traditions. 3. Concerns the interpretation, analysis, or engagement with aesthetic practices; and/or the historical development of artistic or design traditions. 4. In addition, to qualify for the Humanities, Arts and Design designation a course must meet one or more of the following requirements: a. Concerns the development of human thought, with emphasis on the analysis of philosophical and/or religious systems of thought. b. Concerns aesthetic systems and values, especially in literature, arts, and design. Identify Documentation Submitted Syllabus Syllabus Syllabus c. Emphasizes aesthetic experience and creative process in literature, arts, and design. Syllabus d. Concerns the analysis of literature and the development of literary traditions. THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF COURSES ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE [HU] DESIGNATION EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT GIVE SOME CONSIDERATION TO THE HUMANITIES, ARTS AND DESIGN: Courses devoted primarily to developing skill in the use of a language. Courses devoted primarily to the acquisition of quantitative or experimental methods. Courses devoted primarily to teaching skills.

4 Humanities and Fine Arts [HU] Page 3 Course Prefix Number Title General Studies Designation ENG 494 Literature and Human Rights HU Explain in detail which student activities correspond to the specific designation criteria. Please use the following organizer to explain how the criteria are being met. Criteria (from checksheet) 1: Emphasizes the study of values 2: Interpretation, analaysis, and creation of texts 4a: Concerns development of human thought 4c: Emphasizes aesthetic experience How course meets spirit (contextualize specific examples in next column) The course traces the development of ideas and values of human rights from the French and American Revolutions through the late twentieth ventury. Throughout the course our primary objects of study are a range of cultural texts, including literature, art, photography, film, and comic books. Students also complete their own creative assignment related to course themes. The course contextualizes all of these cultural texts within the history of ideas about human rights. We read philosophy alongside creative works. The course explores both how writers and artists responded to human rights issues throughout history and also analyzes the aesthetic experience that their writing and art creates for readers/viewers. Please provide detailed evidence of how course meets criteria (i.e., where in syllabus) The course focuses on the ways that cultural artifacts have shaped the development of a "global human rights" imagination. We trace the evolution of human rights values across texts like Richardson's Pamela, Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," Havel's "Power of the Powerless," Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago, Bolano's Distant Star, and Rankine's Citizen. Over the course of the semester we interpret, analyze, and compare a range of cultural forms, including epistolary novels (particularly Samuel Richardson's Pamela), photography (such as the Family of Man exhibition), literary journalism (Gulag Archipelago), graphic novels (Maus), poetry (W. H. Auden and Claudia Rankine), novels (Distant Star) and film (The Act of Killing). Students also complete creative activities in class, and one of the course requirements is a creative assignment worth 10% of the final grade. Within the field of human rights thought, we study refugee writing in the context of Hannah Arendt's thinking about rufugees and human rights, and we explore ideas about civil resistance from Thoreau to Havel, examining works of conceptual art created under repressive political conditions (the MoMA show "Transmissions."). The course explores the asethetic and ethical experience of viewing, reading, and consuming works of art related to human rights, including epistolary novels (Richardson's Pamela) photographs (The Family of Man exhibition), film (refugee short films & The Act of Killing), graphic novels (Spiegelman's Maus) and poeticcriticism (Rankine's Citizen).

5 ENG 494. Literature and Human Rights Course Description This course will introduce students to the thriving transdisciplinary subfield of literature and human rights, which explores the many historical and contemporary intersections of creative expression and global human rights activism. During our weekly meetings, we will read novels and poetry, view art and films, and discuss a wide variety of topics, including the origins of the human rights imagination, refugee rights, humanitarian aid, anti-torture politics, Holocaust memory, and dissent & free expression. Our historical case studies will be drawn from across the world, as well as closer to home in the United States, in order to explore how ideas and practices related to human rights are shaped through conversations across cultures. Over the course of the semester, you will also have the opportunity to develop creative, written, and oral projects that explore additional topics that are of particular interest to you, from immigration rights to environmental justice. Through written assignments, students will develop their ability to make critical and interpretive arguments about human rights topics using a variety of forms of literary and artistic evidence. Together we will use literature and art to investigate the contested past, present, and future of the global human rights imagination.

6 ENG 494. Literature & Human Rights Spring 2018 Wednesdays 4:50-7:35pm Durham Language & Literature Bldg. 148 Instructor: Prof. Brian K. Goodman Office hours: Mondays, 1:00 2:45pm, and by appointment Ross-Blakley Hall 329 Description: What can the study of literature teach us about human rights? How have writers and artists participated in the ongoing struggle for human rights around the world? This course will introduce students to the thriving transdisciplinary subfield of literature and human rights, which explores the many historical and contemporary intersections of creative expression and global human rights activism. During our weekly meetings, we 1

7 will read novels and poetry, view art and films, and discuss a wide variety of topics, including the origins of the human rights imagination, refugee rights, humanitarian aid, anti-torture politics, Holocaust memory, and dissent & free expression. Our historical case studies will be drawn from across the world, as well as closer to home in the United States, in order to explore how ideas and practices related to human rights are shaped through conversations across cultures. Over the course of the semester, you will also have the opportunity to develop creative, written, and oral projects that explore additional topics that are of particular interest to you, from immigration rights to environmental justice. Through written assignments, students will develop their ability to make critical and interpretive arguments about human rights topics using a variety of forms of literary and artistic evidence. Together we will use literature and art to investigate the contested past, present, and future of the global human rights imagination. Requirements: Class participation (20%): In-class discussion will be a major feature of this course. As a result, a great deal of emphasis will be placed on both your attendance and participation. Students should complete all of the required readings (and viewings) on time and be prepared to offer comments and questions for group discussion. You are also required to visit office hours at least once. Please note, in formulating your participation grade, I will give significant weight to your effort and improvement over the course of the semester. Creative assignment (10%): Details will be distributed in advance of the deadline, but please note: this short writing assignment will be graded on a credit/no credit basis, so have fun and take a few risks! Due by 5pm on 3/2/18. Mini-Essays (20%): Over the course of the semester, each student will complete four mini-essays, one for each unit. These are more formal than response papers each mini-essay will include a strong analytical claim related to the week s topic and provide supporting examples/evidence from our course materials. I will provide timely feedback on each mini-essay to help you build towards writing a successful final paper. Two In-Class Presentations (worth a total of 20%): Each student will prepare two in-class presentations: 1. Each student will sign up to be a student expert for one class session, offering a polished presentation that introduces the material under discussion. The student expert will then help to facilitate our day s conversation. Students will consult with the instructor on their presentation during the week before their presentation. (15%) 2. On the last day of class, each student will briefly present to the group on the topic of their final paper project (see next bullet). (5%) 2

8 Final paper (30%): Early in the semester, in consultation with me, each student will select a topic for their final paper that explores a new human right that we haven t explored in class (for example: disability rights, indigenous rights, or water rights) through the lens of literature and art. This paper will be a persuasive essay rather than a report, making a central interpretive and/or critical claim backed up by evidence of from your chosen primary and secondary sources. Due by 5pm on 5/1/18. *Please note: all due dates are marked in the class schedule with a Course Materials: The following required books are available for purchase at the bookstore: Lynn Hunt, Inventing Human Rights Art Spiegelman, The Complete Maus James Dawes, That the World May Know: Bearing Witness to Atrocity Roberto Bolaño, Distant Star Claudia Rankine, Citizen All other readings are either linked directly in the syllabus or posted on Blackboard. If you have trouble accessing any of the readings, please let me know as soon as you can. Please bring all readings with you to class, in printed form if possible. Class Schedule: 1/10 Introduction: Reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights I. Imagining Human Rights 1/17 Imagining Equality, Abolishing Torture 1/24 Coming to America Read: Lynn Hunt, Inventing Human Rights, Intro & Ch. 1-2 Read: Mark Bradley, American Vernaculars: The United States and the Global Human Rights Imagination * Read: excerpts from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn s Gulag Archipelago in The New York Times* View: selected images from The Family of Man exhibition* II. Getting Beyond Atrocity Comment [BG1]: Criteria 1, 2, 4c: main text analyzes ideas about human rights in relation to epistolary novels, especially Richardson s Pamela. Students also closely analyze passages from Pamela in class. Comment [BG2]: Criteria 2: discusses photojournalism and literary journalism as cultural forms. Comment [BG3]: Criteria 2: session explores form of literary journalism. Comment [BG4]: Criteria 2, 4c: session analyzes photographic exhibition. 3

9 1/31 Disasters Drawn: Remembering the Holocaust 2/7 The Refugee Blues Read & look: Art Spiegelman, Maus I & II* Read: W. H. Auden, Refugee Blues (1939)* Read and think: Hannah Arendt, We Refugees (1943); Lyndsey Stonebridge, Refugee Style (2010)* Watch: a selection of seven short films on contemporary refugees, Comment [BG5]: Criteria 2, 4c: session focuses on interpreting and analyzing graphic novel form. We also explore the aesthetic experience of creating and reading a graphic novel. Comment [BG6]: Criteria 2: session analyzes poetic/blues forms. Comment [BG7]: Criteria 4a: session explores development of human rights thought about refugees. Comment [BG8]: Criteria 4c: explores aesthetic experience of viewing refugee short films. 2/14 The Body in Pain 2/21 The Act of Killing Read: Elaine Scarry, The Structure of Torture, from The Body in Pain* Read: excerpts from Mohamedou Slahi, Guantanámo Diary* View: The Act of Killing, a film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer Read: Dawes, That the World May Know (start reading for next week) 2/28 The Ethics of Witness Read: Dawes, That the World May Know (finish) Creative assignments due by 5pm on Friday, March 2nd in my inbox! Comment [BG9]: Criteria 1, 2: session explores development of human rights discourse in documentary film. Comment [BG10]: Criteria 4c: Book emphasizes role storytelling in human rights work and literature. III. The Art of Dissent 3/14 Worlds of Resistance 3/21 Worlds of Dissent Read: Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, A Plea for Captain John Brown * Think: Wai Chee Dimock, Planetary Time and Global Translation * Read: Václav Havel, The Power of the Powerless * Read: Ludvík Vaculík, A Cup of Coffee with My Interrogator * By this class meeting, please select an initial topic for your final project to share with the group Comment [BG11]: Criteria 1, 4a: session explores development of human rights thought about civil resistance and dissent. Comment [BG12]: Criteria 1, 4a: session explores development of human rights thought about civil resistance and dissent. 4

10 3/28 Transmissions: Art in Eastern Europe & Latin America View, read, and explore: online MoMA exhibition Transmissions: Art in Eastern Europe & Latin America, , Comment [BG13]: Criteria 4a: Cases and artworks are drawn from across Latin America and East-Central Europe, that develop concepts of creative dissent and resistance. 4/4 Can Literature be Dangerous? Read: Roberto Bolaño, Distant Star Comment [BG14]: Criteria 1, 2 4/11 Debating Free Expression IV. Imagining the Future View: documentary Je suis Charlie (available on Netflix) Read: protest letter from members of PEN, Think: excerpts from Timothy Garton Ash, Free Speech* 4/18 Black Lives, Human Rights? Read: Claudia Rankine, Citizen Comment [BG15]: Criteria 1, 2, 4c. 4/25 Imagining New Human Rights Present: Students will share presentations on their final paper projects during our last meeting. Pizza and refreshments will be served! Final papers due by 5pm on Tuesday, May 1st in my inbox! Course policies: Attendance: I ll be passing around an attendance sheet at the beginning of every class, and each student will be allowed one unexcused absence (no questions asked) before they receive a grading penalty. Please contact me regarding makeup work for all excused (for religious observances/practices, university sanctioned events/activities, etc.). Collaboration and academic honesty: All papers and exams must be the student s own work. What this means is that students are permitted, and expected, to discuss their ideas with both me and other students and to request and accept advice. But if a piece of information or an idea comes from someone else, 5

11 students should do the same thing that they would do when it comes from a book, an article, or online: cite the source. All academic work is collaborative in the sense that it builds on what others have written. Using such material is not plagiarism as long as it is appropriately cited. When using the same words as the source, put them inside quotation marks. If you are uncertain, please ask (don t guess). Here is a link to ASU s official policies on Academic Integrity: o Disability accommodation: Please remember to register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and submit appropriate documentation from the DRC so that I can be as helpful as possible. Laptops and electronic devices: As some of our readings are in PDF form or available as e-books, electronic devices, including laptops, are allowed in class, but ONLY for referencing class materials and notes. Phones should be shut off during class time. If I feel this policy is being abused, I reserve the right to ban laptops entirely. Warning: professors can tell when you re shopping for shoes or checking social media during class! Student conduct: Remember, we re all in this together. Even when we disagree, we will treat one another with respect. If any of the course material raises concerns for you, please don t hesitate to reach out to me directly. Finally, I reserve the right to act in accordance with the university s policies regarding disruptive, threatening, and violent behavior: Office hours: I am always available during office hours to discuss any matter related to the course or if you just want to introduce yourself. I encourage you to visit regularly, but at minimum I expect everyone to come to office hours at least once during the term. If my office hours conflict with your class or work schedule, I m also available by appointment. A final note: This syllabus is subject to change, including the schedule of readings and assignments. But I will notify you in advance and make sure that the syllabus uploaded on Blackboard is up to date. 6

12 ENG 494. Literature and Human Rights Required Texts/TOCs Lynn Hunt, Inventing Human Rights Art Spiegelman, The Complete Maus James Dawes, That the World May Know: Bearing Witness to Atrocity Roberto Bolaño, Distant Star (novel; no table of contents) Claudia Rankine, Citizen (poetry/criticism; no table of contents)

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17 That the World May Know bearing witness to atrocity JAMES DAWES harvard university press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England 2007

18 contents Introduction 1 1. Genocide Interrogation Burnout Storytelling 164 Afterword 230 Notes 235 Acknowledgments 284 Index 285

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